Minnesota Zoo Starts Work on World's Longest Elevated Trail

The Minnesota Zoo officially started work on a new walkway that will give visitors a unique perspective of the animals.

The new Treetop Trail repurposes the old monorail track, the monorail train was decommissioned in 2013 after nearly 30 years of use, but its legacy lives on with the new trail that the zoo says "will offer a unique, bird’s eye view" of the animals.

The new 1.25-mile Treetop Trail is scheduled to open next summer and yesterday they hit a big milestone by installing the first section of the walkway onto the track. Many dignitaries and special guests attend the ceremony to celebrate the moment at the zoo's Central Plaza.

The Minnesota Zoo says the new experience will give guests the opportunity to "Connect with the natural world through self-guided experiences as well as exciting special events and programming."

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According to the Minnesota Zoo, when completed the Treetop Trail will be the longest elevated pedestrian walkway in the entire world! The trail will bring guests up to 32 feet into the canopy allowing them to explore hundreds of acres of hardwood forest, ponds, and marshes,

Looking at the map of the Treetop Trail, you can see that during the walk you'll encounter bison, camels, moose, bears, ducks, turtles, and the popular tiger exhibit, along with plenty of other surprises. Sounds like a great experience, and I can't wait to take the family on a walk spotting as many animals as we can.

You can follow the progress of the project here, plus get a look at some of the work going on behind the scenes to get the new Treetop Trail ready for Summer 2023.

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